


The Borderlands and You

by SparkyNomad



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: AI, Artificial Intelligence, Gen, Hyperion, Original Character(s), bandits, borderlands - Freeform, reader - Freeform, you - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:01:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21691909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparkyNomad/pseuds/SparkyNomad
Summary: An unfortunate set of circumstances has you in an area you never thought you'd find. A Hyperion created AI hiding out in a Dahl mining facility? And they want information? This could turn sour quickly...For an audio version of this chapter, head tohttps://soundcloud.com/sparky-nomad/borderlands-and-you-chapter-one
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've only recently gotten back into writing and this theory popped into my head one day. Getting from theory to story doesn't really work in my mind, but I'm attempting!

You find yourself wandering the desert plains of Pandora, stumbling slightly every so often, exhaustion slowly starting to creep in. Never be without a vehicle was a rule you stuck to but so was never travel alone. It seems more than one rule was to be broken today. It was hardly your fault though. You hadn't see the Bandits roll up on you as you were checking your map on your echo and they took you by surprise. They had taken everything, left you with your clothes, boots and a buzzaxe one of the psychos had thrown as he jealously chased after a Tink who was waving your prized SMG above their head. The scenario runs through your head for the fiftieth time and you sigh, feeling the rasp catch in your throat. Thirsty. Great. You look up and see the sun slowly beginning to set, the Firehawk's symbol quickly becoming the brightest thing in the sky. You'll have to find shelter soon if you're going to survive the Pandora night, before the badasses find you. 

You've been walking, wandering, staggering even, for hours. They'd left you to die, to get eaten by skags, but apparently they missed their dinner bell and you'd survived a little longer. But that wouldn't matter if you just died a few hours later anyway, delaying death just so you could walk miles before keeling over.  
Lost in thought you almost walk past a cave opening before hearing the heaven sent drip of water. Staggering to a halt you take a closer look, clambering over rocks to get near, and realise it's one of the smaller Dahl mining structures dug out for testing purposes. Thousands of these had been dug all over Pandora looking for the perfect spot to mine eridium, thousands more had caved in, trapping the miners within. This one seemed clear and the sound of dripping water tempting you further in could not be ignored.

No lights appear to be functioning but you're able to see a little way in due to the disappearing sun leaking in through the entrance behind you. The harsh darkness at the end of the sun's rays does not seem welcoming. You turn the corner. Oh it's dark. It's so dark. It's bad dark. Maybe it's not too late to turn back? There will be water somewhere else, surely? But you remember; you're in the middle of nowhere, nothing for miles. You couldn't see anything on the horizon before you came in here and it must be safer in here than out there. Especially at night. At least, you hope. As you move further in, you hear a faint machine hum in the distance ahead. A generator? Possibly. But it doesn't sound beefy enough so be a generator. But there's definitely a machine hum. What could it be? Your mind begins to race, filling with questions, possibilities. Was there someone here? Was someone living here? Could they be friendly? Then again, it's Pandora. Hardly anyone is friendly anymore. What if they're hungry? What if they see you as food? The panic begins to rise in your chest, your breathing becoming shallower, heart racing before you take a deep, solid breath, shaking your head, hands clenching into fists. Calm down. You're overthinking again, losing yourself. Focus.

You fumble your way down the walkway, blind, hands brushing against the walls as you attempt to get some kind of bearing. You feel your fingertips run over wires all over the walls, an unusual number for a Dahl mining area... But surely it's nothing? You stop thinking about it before the panic begins again. You can't afford to panic now.

As you continue forwards, your feet shuffling beneath you, your foot catches onto something on the floor, something laying across the floor. You try to remove your foot but whatever it is, is caught on your boot. You tug your foot harder, not wanting to bend to the ground to free yourself for fear of losing balance and orientation but you're still trapped. Sighing in annoyance more than anything you tug harder again.

"Stop!" Cries out a voice, sudden, harsh, desperate. You freeze, the sudden voice sending a chill down your spine.  
"Please, don't move. Your foot. It is caught on one of my wires. I cannot afford to lose my connection to the outside world. Please, wait a moment."  
The voice is all around you, an echo throughout the halls, seeming to be getting closer.  
"Who are you? Why have you come here?" The voice, gaining confidence, seems louder, almost suddenly very close to you.  
Still with darkness all around, you think you can sense movement. Remaining silent, you close your eyes, your heart beating faster again, fear taking over.  
"Is it bravery? Or stupidity, that led you down here?" The voice continues, "I haven't seen anyone down here in a long while. But then, keeping track of time has always been difficult"

A blue hue appears in front of your closed eyelids and your eyes tighten further shut, scrunching up, trying to block out the glow as your hands become fists, tightening hard. Your breathing becomes shaky, shallow, a lump rising in your throat.

"Open your eyes"

They're close.

"Open. Your. Eyes."

You shake your head,

"I'm okay, thank you" You reply, trying to sound as confident as you can, failing miserably.

"You seem kinda scared for a Bandit" The voice giggles, clearly amused.

Your fear turns to anger. "I'm no Bandit!" You yell, snapping your eyes open. 

Oh crap.


	2. Artificial Intelligence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find an AI wandering an advanced facility seeming confused. This can only go well.

Holding your head with your right hand and a broken mug in your left, you watch her as she moves across the room. She seems content, running her fingertips across the consoles around the room, watching the dials move. You take a sip of discoloured water and try not to gag before resting the cup on the desk next to you and leaning back in the creaky chair.

"And, what did you say your name was?"  
"My name is Mother"  
"Mother?"  
She snaps her head up suddenly to look at you with an eyebrow raised,  
"Did I stutter? Or did you mishear me?"  
"No, I- I just wanted to check" You stammer, her confidence knocking you for a moment. She eyes you dangerously before turning her attention back to the consoles.   
"So how long have you been here?" You ask, trying once again to make conversation.  
"I'm unsure. As I mentioned, time is difficult to track. But it feels like years" Her words trail off. She is very softly spoken and talks with an air of grace, matching her movements, the way she walks, indications with her hands. You can't help but feel a little mystified by her as she wanders around the room. You've encountered AI before, but nothing like this, nothing on this scale. 

Looking around the room, around the cavern, this place seems to have been built specifically to house an AI. A fully functioning, projected artificial intelligence with access to all systems within this area, maybe even further. But why? From the outside this looks like any other small Dahl mining facility but in here? Woah. It's just something else.  
Mothers voice appears behind you. You jump, turn your head sharp, then groan with pain  
"It's amazing, isn't it? Virtual assistance from afar. Dahl always thought they were so clever but they couldn't create their own artificial intelligence to run the place so had to use virtual projection technology. They might as well have just been stood down here themselves with what use their little projected managers would have been." Mother claps her hands together, smiling sweetly, entwining her fingers with each other  
"But then, Dahl always have been a little slow!" She giggles before whisking herself away again.  
"You took a nasty fall in the hallway there, are you sure you're going to be alright?"   
You groan again, shifting your weight so as to try not to aggrevate the oncoming bruise.  
"I'll be fine" You reply. "I've had worse"  
If you were honest, the pain mainly originated during the Bandit attack a few hours earlier. This time around it was more your pride... Although the pain from smacking your head off the wall whilst falling on your arse after absolutely shitting yourself when you first met Mother, can't be ignored. The fact she had been an inch from your face practically staring into your soul whilst floating two feet off the ground, solidified your terror.

Your immediate thought was you were about to get attacked by a ghost, but her subsequent laughter as you scrambled for your gun (which was stolen, remember?) indicated she may not actually be trying to kill you. Then you remembered ghosts only existed around the later part of the year and they definitely didn't look like her. 

Somehow, Mother's sing-song voice still managed to sound threatening.  
"So what's a bandit like you doing all the way out here?"   
Your annoyance bubbles to the surface again and you grit your teeth.  
"I'm not a bandit" You spit back in reply  
"You look like a Bandit, and my sensors indicate you smell like a Bandit. That signifies to me that you're a Bandit"  
"I was part of a clan. The clan was disbanded after so many raids. The people of Helios weren't meant for Pandora. Only a few of us survived the raids. The ones who could adapt"

Mother stops in her tracks. You've never seen an AI turn white before, but you could swear her blueish skin turned a lighter shade. She makes her way toward you, half floating, half walking with an increased pace, concern ripping through her face as she leans down, inches from your face. Her voice is low, panic stricken.

"Did she send you?" 

"Who?"

"She always said she would tell me if there were an issue. Please, what happened to Helios?"


End file.
